Monetary credits or dollars are a known form of currency implemented in gaming establishments or casinos. Gaming machines enable players to play primary or base games in exchange for wagering such monetary credits or dollars. In these gaming machines, the amount of monetary credits or dollars placed as the wager on the primary game may vary based on the denomination of the gaming machine, the maximum number of credits which can be wagered on the gaming machine, or both. For instance, such gaming machines enable players to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one penny, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to the maximum number of credits, such as five credits. Thus, known gaming machines enable players to make wagers of substantially different monetary credit or dollar amounts on each play of the primary or base game.
Player tracking points are another known form of currency implemented in gaming establishments or casinos. A player tracking system typically maintains such player tracking points. Known player tracking systems enable such gaming establishments to recognize the value of customer loyalty by identifying frequent and/or high wagering players and rewarding those players for patronage to the casino. Known player tracking systems generally include a player database which stores a cumulative history of a particular player's gaming activity, such as wager amounts. Casinos typically target individual players with direct marketing promotions or customized reward plans based on the player's historical gaming activity. In known player tracking systems, the casino issues each participating player a player identification card (e.g., a player tracking card). The player tracking card has an encoded player identification or player tracking account number that uniquely identifies the player. When a participating player sits down at a gaming device, the player inserts the player tracking card into a card reader. The card reader reads the player tracking card and causes information or data to be sent to a player tracking system to identify the player and the player's player tracking account. The gaming machine sends the player tracking system information or data relating to the credit amounts of the identified player's wagers. The player tracking system provides player tracking points to the player's player tracking account based on such wagered amounts. The player can redeem any accumulated player tracking points for a variety of rewards or prizes. For example, the player may redeem such player tracking points for show tickets, hotel rooms, food coupons, merchandise, or another item determined or offered by the casino.
Certain proposed promotions target players for specific advertisements. In such proposed promotions, an advertisement is targeted to a player based on the player's player tracking information or game play parameters, such as a total amount of the player's wagers. Generally, a player must perform a specific task (such as switching telephone providers) to receive compensation or a benefit (such as discounted phone service). In one form of such promotion, a player receives a higher payout or a free game at a gaming machine for agreeing to view such advertisements while the player plays the gaming machine.
Another proposed promotion tailors specific advertisements or offers to a player based on player tracking information. In this proposed promotion, a modeling algorithm analyzes the player tracking information to tailor specific advertisements or offers to certain players.
Certain other proposed promotions require a player to commit to an obligation associated with a third party offer in order to receive a benefit. In such proposed promotions, the player is presented an offer (such as extra credits) at a gaming machine. For the player to receive the offer, the player has to commit to an obligation to a third party (such as applying for a credit card). The third party subsidizes the cost of the offer in this type of promotion. In one form, these offers are made to a player at a time the player is likely to accept viewing an advertisement, such as when the player's credit meter is nearing zero. In another form, the player is required to trade player tracking points in exchange for receiving the benefit associated with the advertised offer. Both forms require the player to commit to an obligation (e.g., by cashing in player tracking points, applying for a credit card, or answering a questionnaire) to receive the third party benefit.
Certain proposed promotions enable players to exchange monetary credits or dollars won at a gaming machine for prizes. In such promotions, players can typically exchange wins at the gaming machine for a third party prize, such as a piece of clothing, an automobile, or another non-monetary prize. In one form, players view advertisements for available prizes and choose whether to exchange the player's winnings for one of the advertised prizes.
Another proposed promotion enables players to redeem player tracking points for a promotional award or item. In this promotion, players accumulate player tracking points through activities associated with a casino. The players can exchange such player tracking points for promotional awards directly associated with a sponsor or third party. In one form, a player earns player tracking points by viewing advertisements associated with the sponsors. This proposed gaming system provides a player with an alternative way to earn and redeem the player's player tracking points.
Certain proposed promotions employ separate sponsor awards awarded to the player in exchange for the player viewing an advertisement on a display of a gaming machine. In one form, the advertisement is displayed to the player each time the gaming machine is to provide an award to that player. In such proposed promotions, a separate sponsor award paytable is associated with sponsor awards. When the gaming machine determines that a sponsor award is to be awarded, the gaming machine selects the prize from the sponsor award paytable (which is separate from the base game paytable). Such prizes are awarded in conjunction with a normal base game prize. In one form, the gaming machine (or gaming system) maintains the sponsored awards or the sponsor award paytable separate and apart from the regular base game paytable (which may or may not include bonus awards). This enables the standard base game to maintain its standard payout percentage. The gaming machine (or gaming system) also enables the sponsored paytables to be modified or exchanged for different paytables including different sponsors, different advertisements, and/or different prizes for an existing sponsor. Such proposed promotions enable a player to earn additional prizes in exchange for being subject to viewing advertisements on displays of gaming machines.
Certain proposed promotions provide players with two types of player tracking points. A first type includes traditional player tracking points. A second type includes player tracking points redeemable only for merchandise. Both of these types of points are provided by the casino, and thus paid for by casino marketing dollars. In one proposed promotion, players can earn gift points throughout a designated time period and redeem these gift points for specific merchandise during a designated shopping period. A player is able to exchange any accumulated gift points to obtain such merchandise. In this proposed promotion, a player is not able to obtain merchandise if the player does not have enough gift points. Since the proposed promotion provides specifically marked player tracking points, which are funded by the casino, the casino sees no additional revenue (and possibly a loss) from this type of promotion. In one form, the casino must purchase or furnish merchandise from suppliers which can represent a further cost to the casino associated with these types of proposed promotions.
The gaming systems and promotions described above have not been commercially viable or implemented into existing casino infrastructure with any consistency or commercial success. Although such systems or promotions enable casino players to obtain a third party or sponsor award based on play (or other activity) at gaming machines in a casino; many of these gaming systems and promotions often require the player to do or be subjected to an extra activity which can take away from the player's gaming experience. Additionally, players are often required to surrender player tracking points to obtain the third party or sponsor awards. In such proposed systems or promotions the player tracking points are funded by the casino; thus, the casino sees no additional revenue through third party advertisements. A need thus exists to establish a structured gaming or promotional system and method that enables casinos and other gaming establishments to generate additional revenue by providing third party advertisers access to the specific and refined customer data typically maintained by player tracking systems directly at gaming machines associated with the casino.
Certain proposed promotions described above provide the player with a third party award immediately (through the casino) or with an award associated with the casino. Such promotions do not require the player to patronize a third party, such as an advertiser or sponsor. Additionally, a need exists for a system and method which creates specific incentives for players to patronize such third party advertisers after the players leave the casino. A need also exists for a system and method which provides advertisers or sponsors with a way to advertise to casino players in a manner that entices such players to patronize the advertisers or sponsors at a later time.
There is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide promotions including third party promotions at a low cost. There is also a continuing need to provide certain players (e.g., players of a high level or status) with higher level awards while not affecting the player's player tracking points or status.